How far are you willing to travel for love? While working in a high-class restaurant in New York City in 1943, Arturo (“Pif”) finds an answer to this question. A young Sicilian immigrant, he is broke and in love with his boss’ niece, Flora (Miriam Leone), a beautiful Italian woman. The two want to marry, but they first need her father’s blessing. The trouble? He lives in Sicily. Without money for travel, Arturo enlists in the U.S. Army, and fortunately, he’s deployed to Sicily, where nothing short of misadventure ensues. In this romantic journey through Italy’s past, Pif’s latest comedy unfolds in classic Italian style, drawing out the complexities of love, war, and organized crime.

Pierfrancesco Diliberto “Pif,”born in Polermo, is the son of Italian director Maurizio Dilberto. He has worked as an assistant director, an actor, a writer, and as a television host. In 2007 he started his own television show on MTV,Il Testimone(The Witness). In 2013, he began his filmmaking career, directing, writing, and starring in his first feature filmLa mafia uccide solo d'estate(The Mafia Kills Only in Summer), which screened at the 2015 IFF of MSP.

An aimless young troublemaker, Alessandro (Carpenzano), squanders his days gambling and getting into fights, and he often spends his nights in jail. With few prospects, he begrudgingly accepts a job as a companion toGiorgio (Montaldo), an elderly poet suffering from Alzheimer’s. On their daily walks, the two banter and become friends, and Alessandro quickly learns more about thisforgotten poet as the old man’s memory drifts.After learning a secret from Giorgio’s past, Alessandro and his friends work to uncover the mystery of this tale, an unexpected history lesson and a touching coming-of-age adventure. This little gem of Italian cinema, nominated for three prestigious Nastro d’Argento awards and winner of one, will make you laugh and cry. A film not to be missed, with unforgettable performances by Andrea Carpenzano and Giuliano Montaldo.

Once upon a time… Summer 1975. In a village on the eastern coast of Puglia, a war is rekindled between the sons of the wealthy and the children of local fishermen, shepherds, and farmers: the so-calledcafonior “bumpkins.” Based on a novel by the same name, the film uses childhood skirmishes over territory and bragging rights to tackle historical class divisions that are relevant still relevant, even today. However, out of a tragically comic misunderstanding, the leader of the rich kids declares war and quickly learns that his view of the world needs an update. A film about childhood and class that revises our concepts of “good” and “evil,” this adaptation is at once a love story, a training course, and a fairy tale.

Davide Barlettiis a director, screenwriter, and producer, and he is one of the founders of the collective audiovisual Fluid Video Crew. Through the collective, he has worked on films, documentaries, shorts, and television.

Lorenzo Conteis a writer, director, and one of the founders of the independent collective Fluid Video Crew, which produces video installations and documentary films. In 2008, he directed his first feature filmFine Pena Mai, which worked on with Davide Barletti.

Saturday,February 24, 2018 - 3:00 PM - INDIVISIBILI (INDIVISIBLE)

Edoardo De Angelis

drama

100 mins / 2017

Italy

Italian with English subtitles

Minnesota premiere

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” says young Daisy to her sister Viola over halfway intoIndivisibili, and it’s a sentiment likely to be echoed by audiences. A subtle and appealing Neopolitan fable that unfolds with the often brutal logic of a fairytale,Edoardo De Angelis award-winning film has the feel of updated folklore — a Brothers Grimm classic, perhaps — relocated to contemporary Italy. Daisy and Viola (Angela and Marianna Fontana) are conjoined twin sisters living in the suburbs of Naples. From a young age, they having been singing talents, performing at weddings, communions, and baptisms for pay. Their gigs become the main source of income for their family, creating a situation that only strengthens the bond between sisters. Sheltered and isolated in a world dominated by their father’s invasive presence, the twins’ lives are turned upside down when one of them falls in love for the first time. A provocative coming-of-age story,Indivisibiliis a moving tale about bravery, love, and friendship.

Edoardo De Angelisis a film director and screenwriter born in Naples. He studied filmmaking at "Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia" in Rome. His films have screened around the world and have won several awards, including his two previous features:Mozzarella Stories(2011) andPerez(2014).

The IFF is proud to unveil the Building Bridges: Emerging Filmmaker Awards for the best short films made in Italy and Minnesota. You certainly won't want to miss the winning short films, chosen by our talented panel of jurors, which will screen Saturday night. The awards ceremony and a discussion with the filmmakers will follow.

Paolo (Marinelli) is a sceptical, and at times ill-tempered, thirty-year-old who works as a sales clerk in a Turin Department Store. Mia (Ragonese) is a backup singer in a band; she’s pregnant and homeless, and her pink hair and flashy style stand out in a crowd. By chance, the two meet at nightclub and it’s not long before they “borrow” a van from Paolo’s store and make their way from Turin to Rome. A geographical and emotional road trip, the two strangers become friends as they embark on a cross-country journey, discovering themselves, their country, and each other. Visually charming, Mollo’s second feature brilliantly tackles outdated ideas about gender, sexuality, and family with this unexpected story about love and what it means to really need one another.

Fabio Mollostudied Visual Theory and Film History at the University of East London and filmmaking at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. In 2011, he was among the ten young international directors selected by the Cannes Film Festival for the Atelier of the Cinéfondation. His short filmAl buiopremiered at the 62nd Venice Film Festival, andGiganti, which won the Best Short Film Award at the Turin Film Festival. His first feature filmIl Sudè nientescreened at the 7th annual IFF of MSP.

Saturday,February 24, 2018 - 9:30 PM - SPETTACOLO

Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen

documentary

91 mins / 2017

USA

Italian with English subtitles

Minnesota premiere

Once upon a time... villagers in a tiny hill town in Tuscany decided to confront their issues by turning their lives into a play. Every summer, the piazza becomes their stage and residents of all ages play a part: themselves. Monticchiello’s annual tradition has attracted worldwide attention and kept the town together for nearly 50 years. However, with an aging population and a new generation more interested in Facebook than farming, the town’s most recent performance might be its last.Spettacolotells the story of Teatro Povero di Monticchiello by interweaving episodes from its past with its present and showing the process by which villagers turn a series of devastating blows into a new play about the end of their world.

Jeff Malmbergis a documentary director and editor based in Los Angeles. His films have the support of a Guggenheim Fellowship and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Sundance Documentary Fund, Creative Capital, and the Tribeca Film Institute.

Chris Shellenis a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She produced the award-winning documentaryMarwencoland co-authored the companion art bookWelcome to Marwencol, which was named one of the Best Books of 2015 by Amazon.Spettacolois her directorial debut.

Sunday,February 25, 2018 - 1:00 PM - IL BOOM

Vittorio De Sica

classic / comedy

85 mins / 1963

Italy

Italian with English subtitles

What would you give up for success? What would you be ready to sacrifice in order to keep “living large”? Giovanni Alberti (Sordi), a mid-level executive during the economic boom following WWII, goes to absurd lengths to maintain his family’s standard of living. So, when Signora Bausetti (Nicolai), the wife of a wealthy industrialist, makes him an offer that would wipe out his debts, Giovanni is faced with an eye-popping dilemma, literally. A zany film about Italy’s postwar transition from reconstruction to consumerism, De Sica’s classic “Italian style” comedy offers a timely critique of economic swings. Sordi stars in one of his most celebrated performances.

Don’t miss this beautiful digital restoration by Rialto Pictures!

Introduction by Graeme Stout

Principal cast: Alberto Sordi, Elena Nicolai, Gianna Maria Canale

Vittorio De Sicawas born in Sora, Italy in 1901, and grew up in Naples. While in his teens he worked as an office clerk to help support his family, but soon found acting a more satisfying escape from the drudgery of his youth. He made a name as a suave leading man in Italian films from the fascist period, mostly light comedies. During World War II, he turned to directing, and after the war he directed two of the most significant films of postwar Italian neorealism,Shoeshine(1946) andBicycle Thieves(1948). Throughout his carrer, De Sica won 4 Academy Awards and several other prestigious international prizes, including the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and a Lion Bear at Berlin.